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JUN

26

2012

A message from Jeff Wayne...

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Hello everyone,

There have been various forum and Facebook posts passed to me, as well as during the course of media interviews I’ve given, where certain questions have regularly, and understandably, come up about the ‘New Generation’ album and tour.

I thought, for those interested, I’d answer those questions and hope they will explain the background to them. Here goes:

Q. When will the full casts be announced for both the new album and tour?

A. I’ll be completing the recording and mixing of the remaining guest artists for the new album by July 20th, with Sony Music planning a major launch around September 1st, with a release date of early November.

With our live production, for those who haven't seen some of the announcements, the cast to date is:

We will be announcing the last role to be cast within the next few months.

Having now worked with each of them, I'm most excited about their participations, and I hope all those who come see TWOTW - The New Generation, will feel the same.

Q. Why are the guest artists for the two projects not identical?

A. This is basically due to availabilities, something we knew right from the start was likely to happen. All our guest artists are much in demand within their individual careers, and as a result we felt it best to hopefully attract great artists to each project independently.

I believe we've achieved two wonderful casts, and with Liam Neeson and Ricky Wilson who have committed to both the new album and tour, we’re treating that as a bonus.

Q. Will Justin Hayward and Chris Thompson be returning?

A. The “New Generation” production is called that for various reasons - creatively the story has been expanded, the musical score has been re-arranged in a number of ways, and each role is being re-interpreted by new guest artists on both the new recording and live production. Hence 'The New Generation'!

So within that concept it does include for this coming tour, Justin and Chris not returning, something I've discussed with both of them, and they have entirely understood what the New Generation is hoping to achieve.

Of course, the original recording of TWOTW, and the DVD of our first tour in 2006 are permanent records of the work we've achieved together, and our friendships will always endure.

Finally, we are always keen to hear your views and any questions you might have. They will always be answered by either myself, or a member of TWOTW team.